~Mike Darcy

In my January column, I discussed starting plants from seed.  This month I want to specifically mention tomatoes as this is the time many gardeners purchase their seeds.  By starting them in February/March, depending on your area of the country, you can start them indoors so you will have nice sized plants to transplant out into the garden at the appropriate time when all danger of frost is over.  Use Black Gold Seedling Mix and a light coating of chicken grit as mentioned last month.  Tomatoes are the most popular home grown vegetable (although technically I think it is a fruit) in the United States and it seems as though each region of the country has some specific varieties that perform best. 

If you are unsure of what tomatoes that will perform well in your area, it is wise to check with your local garden center for help in selection as they will probably have first hand information.  Use neighbors as a resource as well.  If you have a neighbor that grows lots of vegetables, find out which are the favorites.  Most gardeners are very willing to exchange information and you might make a new friend.  I think it is always fun to try some new varieties and I encourage others to do so as well.  I recently came across Seed Savers Exchange catalog and was very impressed with their selection of tomatoes.  While most of the seeds they offer are heirloom types, I counted 72 different tomatoes, many of which you will probably not find elsewhere.  Their catalog is free and you can order it on-line at www.seedsavers.org... READ MIKE'S FULL ARTICLE HERE.

~Nan Sterman

Imagine this: a vegetable garden that produces a huge amount of food in a small space, takes a minimum amount of water, requires very little maintenance, and brings the plants to you, rather than you having to bed down all the way to the ground.

Sound impossible?  Not at all if you garden in raised beds. 

Raised beds are like giant, bottomless planter boxes filled with your favorite soil mixture.  The best beds are four feet wide – about right for an adult to reach the middle.  If you garden with children, 3 ½ feet better suits their shorter arms. 

Bed length makes no difference, though the longer a bed, the more efficient use of space. 

When my now teenage children were small, they each had their own four by four raised bed separated by a three-foot wide walkway.  Three feet accommodates most wheelbarrows (and wheelchairs).  Through childhood, they grew whatever they wanted in those boxes.  One year, my son planted everything purple – eggplants, asters, purple sugar cane, purple leaf lettuce. 

The plants didn’t matter, as long as they were purple. 

Eventually, their interest in the garden waned, so we replaced the two little beds with one big bed, the length of the two beds plus the walkway.  My new bed was eleven feet long and a more efficient use of the space.  

Bed height is important.  I’ve seen four inches tall beds, but I prefer them 18 to 24 inches tall with a 2” x 4” wood cap to sit on and set my tools on as I work.  If you garden from a wheelchair, you might want something even taller.

While my beds are made of long-lasting redwood, in the school garden I manage, our beds are composite lumber made from recycled soda bottles and ground wooden palettes.  They look just like wood but they will last absolutely forever.  And we really liked the idea of using a recycled material... READ NAN'S FULL ARTICLE HERE.